Marc Garneau

While Canadians were relieved to see Mohamed Fahmy released on bail last week, it is far from clear that his long ordeal is over. Officially he is still scheduled to face a retrial beginning on February 23. During his first trial, he was found guilty of multiple charges and sentenced to seven years imprisonment on the basis of very dubious evidence in an arbitrary process, which was widely condemned around the world as a miscarriage of justice. The Government of Canada has an obligation to do its utmost to help its citizens when they are facing such trying situations. Unfortunately, that does not appear to have happened in this instance.

Last week we learned that our Special Forces had been on the front lines to provide targeting for airstrikes and had been doing this for some time. Then we learn that our Special Forces returned fire on two other occasions last week. What's at stake here is the truth.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird offered additional words of support for Ukraine recently, as did the Prime Minister. However, these words ring hollow since we learned that the government has not yet delivered on its commitment to provide much needed assistance to the people of Ukraine. Both the United States and the European Union have committed or already supplied billions of dollars of financial aid through loans and loan guarantees. Meanwhile, Canada has not delivered on its own promises of financial aid, all the while ignoring requests from the Ukrainian government for life-saving, non-lethal military aid and training in areas such as anti-terrorist operations.

On Sunday I drove through the village of Nantes, 11 kilometres to the northwest of Lac-Mégantic. This is where the fateful train began its out-of-control journey, a massive weapon rolling inexorably towards the heart of a community. I could see very clearly how the rail bed sloped downwards on its way out of Nantes, allowing the train in question to build up speed from the simple effect of gravity. How could this have been allowed to happen? To put it bluntly: it was a failure to take the proper safety measures to prevent the train from ever moving by itself. It was also a failure to understand the explosive nature of the crude oil being carried by the train.

During the past two years, the Harper government has clearly demonstrated its shortcomings on two major issues: banning cluster munitions and the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. Let's look at each in turn. Bill C-6, which addresses the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions concerns one of the most horrible conventional weapons ever invented. These munitions deploy tiny bomblets by the thousands, many of which do not detonate upon impact, but rather lie in wait until they are accidentally disturbed, killing and injuring civilians in the resulting explosions years or even decades after being dropped.

Two weeks ago, I spoke to Palestinian children. I spoke about my astronaut experience and their eyes burned brightly. Those kids were sharp. They were still young enough to dream. It's about the children. It should always be about the children. Those Palestinian children, like Israeli children, deserve a safe and peaceful country for their dreams.

The government of Canada knows that signing the UN Arms Trade Treaty will save lives by stopping the illegal flow of small arms. Minister Baird is faced with a choice then: does he take a meaningful step to prevent carnage like the Nairobi attacks or does he bow to the domestic gun lobby and their fallacious claims? Sadly, I suspect we know the answer to these questions.

Sometimes it's worth reviewing what the Government said a long time ago, to see whether it has carried through on its promises. Case in point is the Government's promise to do something about Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). The Conservatives have repeatedly stated that they will have nothing to do with carbon taxes. Indeed, they have aggressively attacked opposition parties on that very matter. Instead they chose to pursue a "regulatory approach" in sectors where GHGs are produced.

As a candidate in this leadership race I believe we have a responsibility during this campaign to define where we stand; we must be clear in our convictions; and speak honestly to Liberals and to Canadians. And therein lies the difference between my friend, colleague and fellow candidate Justin Trudeau and myself. =

<img alt="2012-11-14-LIBERALBANNER.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-11-14-LIBERALBANNER.jpg" width="300" height="80" /> One aspect of running for political office after being an astronaut is the space jokes. I admit it: I'm fond of them. "Marc Garneau: soft on gravity." "Marc Garneau: not down to Earth." "Marc Garneau: He didn't come back from space for you." (Rest assured, I did.)
As I prepared to launch my campaign for the Liberal leadership, people repeatedly asked why, having been fortunate enough to enjoy a career that's taken me around the planet more than a few times, I'd want to risk my reputation on something the media has already written off as a win for someone else? This isn't rocket science.